First-time Olympian Devin Logan earned silver in the debut of slopestyle skiing, while four-time Olympian Kikkan Randall suffers heartbreak in the race where she was favored to make history for the U.S.' cross-country team.

Amy Donaldson

KRASNAYA POLYANA, Russia - On a day when slushy snow made skiing and snowboarding unpredictable, U.S. Olympian Devin Logan won silver in the debut of slopestyle skiing Tuesday.
"I was really happy with my run and couldn't have asked for anything better," said Logan, a native of Vermont, after earning a score of 85.4 on her first run. Canadian Dara Howell won gold with one of the few nearly flawless runs Tuesday. She finished with 94.2 points, while teammate Kim Lamarre earned bronze.
Warm temperatures caused the snow to be more slush than powder, and that slowed some of the skiers down as they spun, flipped and sped down the Rosa Khutor Extreme Park.
Logan said that considering the conditions, she was thrilled with her run, especially after watching other skiers fall or have technical issues.
"I skied one of my best days today even with everything: the conditions, the slushiness, seeing a lot of girls go down," Logan said. "I put it down and wouldn't take it back. I felt great."
She was asked about her pre-race ritual of dancing, and she said getting silly helps keep her calm.
"I don't like to get nervous. I just like to have fun, so I started dancing up there," she said. "I was rapping a little bit and just taking it like any other day."
The conditions were so wet, she said it was like spring skiing.
"I was in the springtime with my friends having fun and just wanted to put down a run," said Logan. "I did that and I couldn't ask for anything better."
Her American teammates did well, with Keri Herman finishing 10th and Julia Krass earning 11th.
They were both thrilled for Logan.
"I'm happy with the way I skied today," Logan said. "It's still so much fun. Now it's party time! Devin and I have been saying it's got to be one of us up there, preferably both, but one is better than none. This is awesome!"
Logan's medal was one of the few bright spots for American skiers and snowboarders Tuesday. While the U.S. men were shut out of the podium in halfpipe, world champion cross-country skier Kikkan Randall didn't even make the finals in the event she was favored to win.
She finished fourth in her quarterfinal heat and didn't advance to the semifinals. She was emotional but upbeat about what it means to work so hard for a dream for nearly two decades and come up short. It was widely expected that the 31-year-old would end the U.S. cross-country medal drought. The last time an American won a cross-country medal was in 1976.
"Seven-hundredths of a second is an incredibly close margin," said Randall, who pointed out that four years of training comes down to 2 1/2 minutes. "I'm sure I'll be reliving those moments hundreds of times in my head, but I was happy to be on my feet today, happy to be in the fight. I gave everything I had and just to come into the games as a gold medal contender was incredible."
She felt she had a good game plan, and she looked very strong until the final 300 meters.
"I got into a good position over the top," she said, "made a couple good moves and was feeling really good, but that final gear just wasn't there. Unfortunately, I fell apart right before the finish and didn't get a good lunge in."
Randall was trying to take some consolation from the fact that she has two team races to look forward to competing in. She was also preparing to cheer for teammate Sophie Caldwell, who finished sixth, making it all the way to the final round.
"I wish I would have been able to fight for that in a few more rounds today," she said, "but maybe my teammates can carry the torch now."%3Cimg%20src%3D%22http%3A//beacon.deseretconnect.com/beacon.gif%3Fcid%3D145101%26pid%3D46%22%20/%3E